Miami Woman Sentenced in Identity Theft and Tax Fraud Scheme

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael J. DePalma, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Tom Caul, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG), and Steven Steinberg, Chief, Aventura Police Department, announced today that Natoya Mashea Handy, 30, of Miami, was sentenced for her participation in a tax refund scheme using stolen identities to convert government monies for her own use. Handy was sentenced to 51 months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release.

On April 12, 2013, Handy was convicted by a jury of one count of access device fraud in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(3), and five counts of aggravated identity theft in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A, in connection with an identity theft tax refund fraud scheme.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, on or about April 5, 2012, the defendant was found with at least fifteen (15) social security numbers, names, and dates of birth belonging to persons who were formerly or presently incarcerated by the state of Florida. The trial testimony and evidence further showed that fraudulent tax returns were filed for tax year 2011 for seventeen (17) of the individuals whose social security numbers the defendant possessed. Each of these fraudulent tax returns fraudulently claimed entitlement to a refund, amounting to thousands of dollars in fraud.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the Identity Theft Tax Refund Strike Force, with special commendation to the City of Aventura Police Department, the City of Miami Gardens Police Department, and IRS-CI, with assistance from the SSA-OIG. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Hui and Amanda Perwin.